Thriller title sequence analysis
Jaws

Who is being represented in the opening scene? How are they represented? Is it positive or negative?
Oddly enough in the opening scene we are seeing from the antagonists point of view; the shark. It's being represented in a negative way, this is due to the infamous background music being sinister and the way in which the camera moves makes the shark appear to be sly; stalking it's prey. Lurking throughout the ocean depths as the title credits appear on screen.


What do the titles for each opening look like? Do they symbolise the thriller genre?
This does not fit the stereotype of a thriller as we don't usually get to see from a character's perspective. Especially not that of the antagonists. This subverts the stereotype as we get an underwater point of view; the view the shark would get.


Analyse the camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. How do these technical areas make you aware that this is the thriller genre?
Camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene are all used carefully to make the audience aware that the film is in fact the genre of thriller. The use of camera angles helps the audience recognise that the film is in fact of the thriller genre as we get a point of view shot from the antagonist. By using this camera angle the audience can see from the shark's point of view, the way it's stalking and lurking in the water. This connotes that is in fact of the thriller genre. Mise en scene is used to help create tension and represent the genre as thriller, John William's infamous music, is playing while the shark is underneath the water and the titles flash on screen. The music turns what could be something innocently swimming into a ravenous predator that's stalking it's prey. Editing is further used so the opening titles co-inside with the music, flashing on screen when the score hits a louder climax.


Does the narrative in the opening correspond to the conventions of a thriller film? How?
The narrative opening corresponds to the thriller genre, as it stereotypically shows the main actors name's first, then the co-stars and finally ending with the director, thus fitting the conventional opening of a thriller. However, as previously said it subverts a thriller opening as we get to see from the antagonist's point of view for the opening, something that hadn't been done before.


Which production company was the film made by? How might this affect film content?
Zanuck/Brown were the production company. This could affect film content as they would have had very specific ideas about how they wish the film to be portrayed. For instance one of the possible director's John Sturgers got dropped from the job as he kept describing the shark as a 'whale', which the producers were unhappy about.


What do you think might happen in the rest of the film? Give a brief suggestion of the narrative
I think the film will further develop into a cat and mouse chase. The shark will continue causing havoc on the small town thus resulting in people having to hunt the shark down. However, i believe the shark is probably smarter than it looks and instead of the humans hunting the shark, the shark will hunt them.


Title time line
00:31 - 00:35 - A Zanuck/Brown Production
00:38 - 00:44 - Roy Scheider
                        Robert Shaw
                        Richard Dreyfuss
00:49 - 00:53 - 'Jaws'
00:55 - 00:58 - Co-starring Lorraine Gray
00:59 - 01:05 - Murray Hamilton
                         Carl Gottlieb
                         Jeffrey C. Kramer
                         Susan Backlinie
01:05 - 01:08 - Music by John Williams
01:11 - 01:13 - Film Editor Verna Fields
01:25 - 01:29 - Director of Photography Bill Butler
01:31 - 01:36 - Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb
                         Based upon the novel by Peter Benchley
01:38 - 01:42 - Produced by Robert D. Zanuck and David Brown
01:46 - 01:50 - Directed by Steven Spielberg

Thriller title sequence analysis
Vertigo

Who is being represented in the opening scene? How are they represented? Is it positive or negative?

In this opening sequence a woman is being represented in a negative manner. The sequence stars by showing the woman to the audience before zooming in on her face to see her gulp briefly before teh camera zooms in further for an extreme  close up of her eyes. It is here we seeher look frantically from side to side, as if anxious or worried. This then moves into another extreme close up, this time of just her right eye and as we zoom into the pupil she widen's her eyes dramatically, giving us a somewhat terrified expression. Therefore it is connoted that the woman is clearly scared on edge about something.

What do the titles for each opening look like? Do they symoblise the thriller genre?
Vertigo does represent the thriller genre as it follows many stereotypes linked with that genre. The typical on edge and tension building music creates a certain anxiousness in the audience. The whole scene is also very standard for thrillers, it shows a person already vulnerable from whatever is occuring, in this case the woman being shown in the opening sequence.

Analyse the camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. How do these technical areas make you aware that this is the thriller genre?
Camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene are all used in different ways to make the audience aware of the genre of the film. For instance in this case, the camera is used deliberately to only focus on certain areas; the eyes, as they show the most emotion out of all our facial features. the ccamera shots play on this by using extreme close ups, making the almost almost uncomfortable at how closely we can see the woman. The camera pan up her face is used deliberately to create tension. The camera only moves up her face when we see her gulp, obviously something a human would do when nervous or scared. It then moves up to focus on her eyes.

Sound is also used deliberately to fit the genre of a thriller. The background music is the typical, slow and unsettling, creepy music that builds tension. Thus connoting already what stereotype the film will fit. The music is used carefully with both editing and camera shots to make sure the big dramatic point of the piece of music coincides with the widening of the woman's eyes. The music then slowly fades out as the other credits appear on screen, such as the co-stars.

Mise-en-scene is also used to fit the stereotype. There's no specific location however, behind the woman is what appears to be a black back drop. This fits the stereotype of a thriller as it makes it seem dark and scary.  We don't see costumes as we only see close ups of the woman. However make up is minimal but the lighting has been used in such a way that she gets lots of shadows on the right side of her face. This could play on the idea that she has inner turmoils and is torn, not knowing what to believe. In addition to this, the camera further zooms into the right eye, the side of her face that has more dark shadows. This could connote that the film is dark, and even though she feels torn over what to believe that she is right about it being dark and twisted.

Does the narrative in the opening correspond to the conventions of a thriller film? How?
The narrative does follow the conventions of a thriller. It's kept us very out of the loop but has shown us enough to intrigue us and make us wonder what is actually happening. It's also shown someone vulnerable in the opening scene, something typical of the thriller genre.

Which production company was the film made by? How might this affect film content?
The production company was Paramount, and they could affect film content as being a more well known production company they might not want too many 'inappropriate' scenes as it could upset viewers and bring down their credible reputation.

What do you think might happen in the rest of the film? Give a brief suggestion of the narrative
From the opening scene I think that it's safe to say something dark and suspicious is going on. And that someone is going to catch on as to what's been happening, whether it's the woman in the title sequence or not. This will then create drama and tension as we begin to unravel the mystery. The title itself uses a word that means 'a sensation of whirling and loss of balance.' The idea of 'whirling' is played upon towards the end of the sequence when a whirling object appears out of the woman's eye and then as the rest of the credits appear on screen more of these 'whirls' are on display. So the title does have some sort of relation to what the film we be about. The idea of loss of balance could play an important role, making the audience already feel unreasy.

Title timeline
00.25 - 00:28 - James Stewart
00:36 - 00:40 - Kim Novak
00:45 - 00:49 - 'In Alfred Hitchcock's'
00:56 - 01:02 - Vertigo
01:10 - 01:22 - Co-starring:
                        Barbara Bel Geddes
                        With Tom Helmore
                        Henry Jones
                        Raymond Bailey
                        Ellen Corby
                        Konstantin Shayne
                        Lee Patrick
01:25 - 01:33 - Screenplay by Alec Coppel & Samuel Taylor
                        Based upon the novel "D'entre les morts" by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac
01:35 - 01:44 - Director of photography Robert Burks, A.S.C
                        Technicolour - technicolour color consultant Richard Mueller
01:45 - 01:57 - Art direction Hal Periera & Henry Bumstead
                        Special Photogrraphic effects John P.Fulton, A.S.C
                        Process photography
                        Farciot Edouart, A.S.C & Wallace Kelley, A.S.C
                        Set decoration Sam Comer & Frank McKelvy
                        Titles designed by Saul Bass
02:02 - 02:15 - Edited by George Tomasini, A.C.E
                        Assistant Director Daniel McCauley
                        Makeup supervision Wally Westmore, S.M,A
                        Hair style supervision Nellie Manley, C.H.S
                        Sound recording by Harold Lewis & Winston Leverett
02:18 - 02:24 - Costumes Edith Head
                        Special sequence by John Ferren
02:26 - 02:31 - Music by Bernard Herrmann
02:32 - 02:36 - Conducted by Muir Mathieson
02:38 - 02:43 - Associate producer Herbert Coleman
02.49 - 02:58 - Directed by Alfred Hitchcock